Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Carter Meets Today With Cuban Rights Leaders and Some of Castro's Political Opponents

Aired May 16, 2002 - 06:08   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We want to go live to Cuba right now. Former President Jimmy Carter is there. He meets today with Cuban rights leaders and some of President Fidel Castro's political opponents.

Our Ed Lavandera joins us live from Havana with the latest -- good morning.

ED LAVANDERA CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. There are no formal events scheduled for Jimmy Carter until later this evening. As you have mentioned, this will be a day for political dissidents to get Carter's full attention.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Jimmy Carter's last full day in Cuba will be spent meeting with a group of Cuban political dissidents. It's not part of the official schedule, but for three hours, Carter will hear directly from those trying to bring greater freedom to the communist island.

Dissidents want the world to understand their struggles.

"Now with Carter's visit to Cuba, we are able to speak freely, but before, it was impossible. We have an example of six people who belong to our organizations that they firmly (ph) went out of church and yelled 'freedom for Cuba,' and they are now in jail."

LAVANDERA: Mr. Carter will also meet with religious leaders. While Castro's regime has only allowed for a limited amount of religious expression on the island, Carter shared with this audience that he also teaches Bible study classes.

JIMMY CARTER, FMR. U.S. PRESIDENT (through translator): And there are many visitors that come to our church to listen to me. It is very strange for some to listen to a lesson from the Bible from a politician.

LAVANDERA: Fidel Castro and Jimmy Carter got together for their second and final dinner Wednesday night, a private affair, no cameras allowed. As this historic visits draws to a close, the question remains: How will Fidel Castro react to the toughest criticism? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He won't change. He won't change. He will use Carter as he used the pope and how he has been using everybody down there, so that's what we will see. He won't step (ph) to democracy. He won't make any move for giving freedom.

LAVANDERA: Many Cubans and Carter himself say change will probably take a long time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA: Now, Fidel Castro still hasn't responded publicly to Jimmy Carter's speech from Tuesday night. Carter is scheduled to leave Cuba Friday afternoon, but before he leaves the island, he is supposed to hold a press conference.

Reporting live from Havana, I am Ed Lavandera -- Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: Ed, I can't help but wonder about what will happen to the dissidents who spoke out. What will happen after former President Carter leaves?

LAVANDERA: Oh, a lot of those dissidents who had a change to speak that say that they are worried about just that. They say -- one in particular that we spoke with yesterday said that this moment of being able to speak freely really only lasts this week, and that they are worried that after Jimmy Carter leaves the island that things will return to normal.

But they will take perhaps the momentum from what happened this week and try to use that to their advantage. But a lot of folks, not only here, but in the Cuban exile community in the U.S., seem a little skeptical about that at this point.

COSTELLO: Does Mr. Carter view his trip as a success?

LAVANDERA: Well, we haven't had a chance to hear from him directly in terms of being able to ask him those types of questions. He said from the outset, that he doesn't expect any kind of immediate change to take place just because of his week-long visit here. He says that any kind of change will always take a long time.

So that's one of the reasons we are hoping to speak with him on Friday and perhaps those questions will be posted to him then.

COSTELLO: And I know like 40 members of Congress have come out and said it's time we changed our policies in Cuba, but President Bush is expected to give a speech on Monday saying we will now. So I guess we'll see what happens.

Thank you, Ed Lavandera, reporting live for us from Cuba this morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.